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Do Kids Grow Out of ADHD? Not All Do, Researchers Say

The largest study of its kind reveals that one-third of children with ADHD still have the condition as adults and are highly susceptible to other psychiatric disorders.

Attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, is typically
characterized by a child’s inability to pay attention in class, but new
research is poised to change our perspective on this all-too-common
disorder.

A third of children diagnosed with ADHD still had ADHD
symptoms as adults, and they were more likely than their peers to have
another psychiatric disorder, to be arrested, or to commit suicide,
according to the largest study to date on the subject.

“We suffer
from the misconception that ADHD is just an annoying childhood disorder
that's over-treated,” lead investigator William Barbaresi, MD, said in a
press release. “This couldn't be further from the truth. We need to
have a chronic disease approach to ADHD as we do for diabetes. The
system of care has to be designed for the long haul.”

Researchers
from Boston Children’s Hospital and the Mayo Clinic conducted the first
population-based study of ADHD that followed 5,718 children from
childhood into adulthood. Of those children, 367 were diagnosed with
ADHD.

Among their findings, published in the journal Pediatrics,researchers discovered that:

Twenty-nine
percent of the children with ADHD still had symptoms as adults, and 81
percent of these adults had at least one other psychiatric disorder.

The
most common co-occurring disorders were substance abuse, antisocial
personality disorder, hypo-manic episodes, anxiety, and major
depression. (Only 35 percent of children without ADHD experienced these
conditions as adults.)

Seven of the 367 children with ADHD had
died when researchers conducted a follow-up, three of them from suicide,
which was a higher suicide rate than in the control group.

Ten children with ADHD, or 2.7 percent, were incarcerated at the time of recruitment for the study.

“Only
37.5 percent of the children we contacted as adults were free of these
really worrisome outcomes,” Barbaresi said. “That's a sobering statistic
that speaks to the need to greatly improve the long-term treatment of
children with ADHD and provide a mechanism for treating them as adults.”

ADHD as a Chronic Disease

Researchers
did note one issue with their sample population: the children in the
study were largely middle class, with access to education and
healthcare—including at the world-renowned Mayo Clinic.

“One can
argue that this is potentially a best-case scenario,” Barbaresi said.
“Outcomes could be worse in socioeconomically challenged populations.”

About
three quarters of the 367 children with ADHD in the study population
received treatment. Surely, others with less-than-ideal treatment
options would not fair as well.

The researchers said that parents
of children with ADHD should ensure their children receive the best
care possible, and that care should continue into adolescence.

They
also said that children with ADHD should be evaluated for learning
disabilities and associated conditions, as well as educated about
substance abuse, depression, and anxiety.

Complications and Benefits of Childhood ADHD

If left untreated—or under-treated—ADHD can lead to a number of problems.

However, certain traits associated with ADHD, such as hyperfocus, can be advantageous, and famous people throughout history—including Bill Gates, Walt Disney, and five U.S. presidents—have used these traits to change society for the better.

Though
ADHD is a chronic and debilitating condition for some, it has been
linked to a higher incidence of leadership, athletic ability, and
creativity. In the case of ADHD, lifelong management is truly the key.

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